John Barrows’ Post

The importance of meeting face-to-face.   I am not sure if anyone else has noticed but since virtual’ meetings became the default method of engagement, relationships have suffered.   As my role revolves around solution solving and sales training the lack of personal contact has equated to a collapse or at the very least a reduction in interactions. This has meant less opportunities to actually build relationships which are key to any success in a sales/solutions environment.   Since the beginning of this year I have once again begun travelling and engaging directly with sales teams and potential clients. The results are encouraging but have really highlighted what has been lost. In fact, I am almost wanting to refer to 2020 -2023 as ‘The Lost Years’.   Let none of us lose just how important it is to meet with others, it is part of our human nature to want to connect, be seen, be heard and understood.   Here’s to many more face-to-face meetings in 2024 and rekindling those relationships and engagements that have been damaged by a situation we were all forced into, and have spent 3 years trying to validate/justify.

Just had some thoughts I wanted to share about the art of sales and the philosophy behind why prospects choose to buy, especially in the context of virtual meetings. Sales is a deeply human process, and it's about much more than just the product or service being sold. It's about the connection between the salesperson and the prospect. It's about the prospect seeing themselves in the solution being offered. In fact, I'd argue that about 80% of a sale is made before the first meeting. The prospect has already bought into the idea philosophically, taken on the role of change agent, and decided to advocate for the solution within their organization. The rest is up to the salesperson not to mess it up. The first meeting is crucial, even if it's virtual. It's where the prospect decides what their relationship with you will be. Will they be critical and create hurdles, or will they be generous and forgiving? This isn't determined by a marketing brochure or a clever widget, but by the interaction between two human beings. It's important to remember that both sides in a business encounter have distractions, minds wander. But if we can control what we are experiencing in the current moment, it will radiate to the prospect. In a virtual presentation, it's crucial to keep both sides actively engaged. The shared screen is your stage. Use your cursor to guide their eyes, highlight key points, and navigate through the presentation. Then when you transition to an extended Q&A, make sure that they are actively participating. Encourage them to use features like the 'raise hand' function, chat box, or even emojis to express their thoughts and questions. And finally, always do a post-action report with a manager, team leader, or peer. It's important to break down all the immensity of a meeting, all the actions, the gestures, the presentation, their engagement, and next steps. Remember, sales is not just about selling a product or service. It's about selling a bit of yourself. It's about making the prospect see themselves in the solution you're offering, even if it's through a screen. #sales #saassales #salesmanagement #business #businessdevelopment #prospecting #engagement #virtualmeetings

Are you meeting with your customers in person, or are you doing EVERYTHING virtually? If not, you may want to rethink! Recent research from Yale neuroscientist sheds light on the importance of a hybrid sales approach. Check out the key insights from this study below and how we can use the findings in our deals: 🔍 In sales, building trust and rapport with potential clients is crucial. The study suggests that in-person meetings result in more active and coordinated brain activity, which may lead to deeper emotional connections and better understanding of social cues. This is essential for creating trust during sales interactions. 🗣️ Selling enterprise deals often involve complex communication and negotiation. The study indicates that the brain's social systems are more active during in-person encounters. This implies that face-to-face meetings might be more effective for conveying complex information and making persuasive arguments. 🔑 Identifying specific stages in the sales process where in-person meetings are necessary can be essential. For important decision points, like closing deals or key presentations, the study suggests that in-person interactions could be more effective in engaging clients and sealing the deal. 🌐 Using a hybrid approach is essential: The key here is to balance in-person with virtual meeting. For example, we can use virtual calls for initial sales conversations, discovery , etc. and strategically leverage in-person meetings for critical moments in the sales process to enhance trust and client connections. Thanks Samer Salman for passing along this great article. Source: https://lnkd.in/gj-Rr9Rb #sales ; #deals; #quota

As a sales manager, I resisted creating a time block for weekly meetings. The idea of adding another recurring meeting to an already packed schedule seemed counterproductive. However, after several weeks of trial and error, I realized that these meetings were crucial for a few key reasons. Firstly, they provided invaluable competitive insights. Each team member could share updates on the latest market trends, customer feedback, and competitor activities, which helped us stay ahead of the curve. Secondly, they created transparency within the team. Everyone was aware of each other's progress, challenges, and successes, fostering a culture of openness and mutual support. Lastly, they significantly improved our strategic alignment. Regularly discussing our goals and tactics ensured that everyone was on the same page, and working towards the same objectives. Quick Template to Share with Your Team: To make these meetings even more effective, introduce this simple yet powerful acronym: W.I.N. This stands for Wins, Insights, Needs. Wins: Share your successes from the past week. What went well? What achievements or milestones did you reach? Insights: Discuss key learnings or observations. What trends are you noticing? What feedback have you received from clients or the market? Needs: Identify any support or resources you need. What obstacles are you facing? How can the team help you overcome these challenges? The point of using this template is to ensure everyone comes prepared for the meeting, ready to contribute meaningfully. It also encourages team members to weigh in on each other's updates, fostering a collaborative environment. How A Weekly Meeting Can Transform Your Team: Implementing this structured approach can transform your meetings from a mundane task into a vital part of your strategy. Team members are more engaged, informed, and aligned. Sharing their wins, insights, and needs, not only enhanced their performance but also strengthened the team dynamics. The key here is don't allow them to get into a b*$fest, nip that in the bud. Every company has backorders, breakage, and problems if you allow them to focus on it they will. What strategies do you use to make your meetings more effective?

How do you make your sales meetings more effective? ✏️ Making sales meetings more effective involves careful planning, clear communication, and a focus on achieving specific goals. Here are some strategies to consider: 1. Set clear objectives: Define the purpose of the meeting and establish specific goals. Whether it's closing a deal, updating the team on progress, or discussing strategies, clarity on the desired outcomes helps maintain focus and productivity. 2. Prepare an agenda: Create an agenda that outlines the topics to be discussed, the time allocated for each item, and the expected outcomes. Share the agenda in advance so participants can come prepared, ensuring a more productive and efficient meeting. 3. Limit the number of participants: Keep the meeting focused by inviting only the necessary stakeholders. This helps prevent unnecessary distractions and ensures that everyone present can actively contribute to the discussion. 4. Encourage participation: Foster a collaborative and inclusive environment that encourages active participation from all attendees. Allow space for questions, ideas, and insights from team members. Consider using techniques like round-robin sharing or assigning specific roles to team members to encourage engagement. 5. Share data and insights: Provide relevant and up-to-date information to support the discussion. Sharing data, market trends, and customer insights helps team members make informed decisions and contribute meaningfully to the conversation. 6. Provide training and coaching: Use sales meetings as an opportunity for training and skill development. Offer guidance, share best practices, and provide coaching to help team members improve their sales techniques and overcome challenges. 7. Review and track progress: Regularly review individual and team sales performance, targets, and goals. Use the sales meeting to analyze results, identify areas for improvement, and create action plans for continued success. 8. Follow up and accountability: Clearly define action items, responsibilities, and deadlines during the meeting. Afterward, follow up with team members to provide support, ensure accountability, and track progress on agreed-upon actions. 9. Evaluate meeting effectiveness: Periodically assess the effectiveness of your sales meetings. Solicit feedback from team members to identify areas of improvement, such as the duration, structure, or content of the meetings. Adapt and iterate accordingly. By implementing these strategies, sales meetings can become more focused, productive, and valuable for all participants, leading to improved sales performance and success. #sales #salesmeetings #objectives #objectorientedprogramming #agrochemicals #agriculture #professionaldevelopment

Top 10 Reasons Why Salespeople hate Sales Meetings- 1. The meeting is for the sake of having a meeting. There is no clear objective or goal.  2. The meetings don’t start on time, don’t end on time, and run too long.  3. The meeting doesn’t start on a positive note or end on a positive note; nor does it follow any sort of agenda. There is no consistent process or flow to the meeting.  4. It’s not really a sales meeting, it’s an operations meeting, status update, and the Sales Head talks the whole time.  5. Best practices, success stories, and new ideas are not shared.  6. There is no training, interactivity, or participation on the part of the sales team in the meeting. 7. There is very little recognition or praise given to members of the sales team to acknowledge their performance.  8. The tone of the meeting is negative. The team leaves feeling like they have had a sales beating, not a sales meeting.  9. The meetings are boring. The meetings are boring. The meetings are boring.  10. As a result of the 9 reasons above, salespeople show up to the meeting with a bad attitude. They would rather be out selling, making money, than sitting in the conference room, warming up a chair, trying to stay awake and checking their phone under the table, hoping the Sales Head doesn’t notice.  #sales #training #mentoring ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Elevate your sales meetings and boost your team's performance with expert sales coaching. With a track record of enhancing sales effectiveness through engaging sessions, I am happy to address the issues hindering your team's success. Reach out- [email protected] for tailored solutions.

The phone is a tool to set meetings. If you are not consistently going on meetings every week with owners within your specialty and focus then you’re doing it wrong. As many have heard me say before - you’re just another asshole sales person on the phone until you meet in person. Then everything changes. One simple piece of advice I have given to those who have struggled with setting meetings: Set an “ask for the meeting” commitment each week. So, let’s say that based on your activity level you are making 400 calls. You should speak with 80 decision makers. Have your “ask for the meeting” commitment be 20 for that week. This will bring the purpose of your call in to focus and increase the probability that you actually close for a meeting. You see, that is one of the biggest holes in a sales person’s game. They don’t ask for the business. Or in this case for the meeting. Someone in your market is considering doing something today. Will you find them, uncover the motivation and close??

“I hate our sales meetings.” Said, most sales reps in my communications with them over the years. The typical sales meeting often falls short—failing to inspire, train, or encourage, and instead, leaving sales reps feeling drained. How to have a transformative sales meeting: 1. Start with Wins: Kick off the meeting by sharing successes. This not only sets a positive tone but also fosters healthy competition among team members. Celebrating wins, big or small, can significantly boost morale. 2. Accountability: This segment is crucial. Discuss whether team members have met their goals, focusing on their activities. It's important to delve into the reasons behind their success or failure. This is a pivotal learning moment— not just for the individual involved but for the entire team. Understanding the 'why' behind the outcomes can lead to valuable insights for future strategies. 3. Targeted Training: Provide a suucinct training session on the spot, based on common challenges faced by the team, especially those affecting their goal achievement. Make it laser-focused and relevant to their experiences. When training is directly tied to their needs, and their emotions are engaged, retention and application of the knowledge improve significantly. 4. Actionable Takeaways: Have each team member tell you one key insight they gained from the meeting and how they plan to apply it moving forward. This ensures that the meeting has a tangible impact on their daily work and encourages the application of new strategies or mindsets. One Takeaway not 10! 5. Set the Next Goal: End the meeting by setting individual goals to achieve before the next meeting. This keeps the momentum going and gives everyone a clear focus. This entire process should take no longer than 45 minutes when done right. Repeat this process every sales meeting. By doing so, you're not just conducting meetings; you're fostering an environment that encourages growth, challenges the team in constructive ways, and supports them in reaching their full potential. Transforming your sales meetings in this manner will lead to a more motivated, engaged, and productive sales force. #business #b2bbusiness #consultant #consulting #gorockthisday

We book 100s of meetings (per month) with cold calls. Here's how we do it: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 Permission based. Acknowledge the cold call (no tricks), ask for a moment to say why you've called and most importantly let them know it'll be quick: Hey Sally, This is Mike with Deel, I know you didn’t expect me to call you this afternoon, do you mind if I take one minute to tell you why I called you specifically, and then you can tell me whether or not it makes sense to speak?" 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Purely focused on the problems your persona faces. Has nothing to do with you, your company or your product. The goal is to start a conversation. Typically when I talk to other sales leaders who are hiring AEs a key challenge I hear is: [challenge w/ short description] Is that relevant to you or did I miss the mark?" 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 All your objection handling should start the same way. That way you're never caught off guard. My favorite framework is "Actually, that's why I called." For example, not interested: Actually, that’s why I called – most folks aren’t actively looking for a solution but thought you may be curious how similar [persona] is achieving [positive business outcome]. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 Cold calls should not last more than 5 minutes. Once there's interest go for the close. Awesome Sally, well look I know I called you out of the blue. Would you be against taking a look tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday in the morning?” 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Counterintuitive but save qualification questions for after the meeting is booked. Before you hang up would it be alright if I asked 2 questions so we make the most out of our time tomorrow? This season of Survivor is epic 🤯, Mike G

When a company is struggling or top management heavy they usually develop a meeting culture. One group I worked for bought up several companies, and built a new head office and from that point on it was a 4 meetings a week scenario. It was almost impossible to do your job as you were forever compiling reports for meetings. Another business that was struggling held one to 2 meetings a week headed up by the commercial director or sales director and they were totally ineffective. Being led by people with sales titles but no sales experience is a recipe for disaster especially in difficult times. When they should be supporting their team with leads, implementing creative strategies and tailored tactics they just have discussions with a sales force showing no leadership, gaining no respect and taking the team off the road for 1 to 2 days a week. Sales meetings are important for several reasons, interaction between the team, sharing information, reviewing the status of potential projects, analysis of any loss projects, performance status against forecast, action plans, etc. A good sales meeting is planned, not ad hoc and sprung last minute on expected attendees, has an agenda and should be useful and of value to those at the meeting. The frequency depends on the business. When running an interior fit-out company I held a quick conversational stand-up meeting every morning in the kitchen over coffee getting a progress report on current projects, status of potential new business and clients to target, competition activity, etc. and held a formal meeting every month. The best meetings are ones that incorporate sales, estimating, bidding, marketing and some input from operations. Feedback from current or previous projects can guide you into the types of work that are preferred where the company's strengths are and what to avoid. Marketing and sales should collaborate so they both know what to target how it is to be done and when. Plus debtor days and undesirable clients should be discussed. Some businesses function without any sales meetings at all, whereby I think they are missing out as the sales force does not have a chance to collaborate and interact nor do they get a feel for what is happening in the company or share intel about the market or competitors.